Lynn is preparing to impress Formula One team

ALEX Lynn is busy making sure he is in tip-top shape to impress Formula One bosses at his new Red Bull team this year.

The 21-year-old racing driver from Dunmow joined the Red Bull Junior programme in December after an impressive 2013 in Formula Three when he was the top rookie driver in the European F3 Championships and claimed a stylish win at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

It brought him to the attention of Red Bull bosses, who have added him to the programme that has seen the progression of their current F1 drivers, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, as well as their two Toro Rosso team drivers to the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport.

It is a path that Lynn is keen to follow and he will also be competing for the Carlin team in the GP3 championship this year as part of his work with the reigning F1 Constructors champions.

He had his first day at Red Bull’s factory base in Milton Keynes at the end of last week and he knows he needs to be ready for any opportunities that the team present him with.

Lynn said: “I had been there before, but it was cool to go there feeling a proper part of the team.

“I think I should be starting with Red Bull stuff next week, but we can’t start testing for GP3 until March.

“Because I don’t live that far away from the Red Bull factory I think I’ll be there quite often.

“They want to see how good I am so I’m expecting to be used quite a lot in the simulator for testing.

“The message that has been put across to me is that if I perform then opportunities will present themselves.

“That’s the impression I’ve got quite clearly.

“If I do a good job in GP3 and in the simulator then opportunities will arise and I’ll stand a chance of racing in F1.”

Lynn hopes rule changes made in F1 this season can help him have more of an input into the Infiniti Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams.

Teams are allowed to have more than one driver per car at Friday practice sessions at all F1 rounds this year and there will also be additional in-season testing permited in 2014 and Lynn is training hard to make sure he is physically ready if he is called on.

He added: “I’m working very hard to make sure I’m ready to get in a car if needed.

“The physical demands of F1 are a lot higher than F3 and I know I could get a phone call saying could I be in a car at any time, so I don’t want to sit there thinking I didn’t maximise my opportunities because I wasn’t fit enough.

“I’ve really ramped up my training to make sure everything is in place.”